TEC 754 phono preamp and RIAA equilizer

Reviving your LP collection may be simple or complex but it doesn’t have to be expensive

If you are thinking of dusting off your turntable and listening to those old vinyl records, you will be in good company.

Thanks to hip-hop and DJs, vinyl records are the in-thing. From 2007 to 2008, vinyl LP production increased from 1 million to 1.88 units in the US.

I only wanted to listen to some old LPs when I dug out my Dual 505 turntable this spring. The 20 year old model had not been used for over decade but it worked. I ordered a new stylus on the Internet for $75.

About the time I got used to getting up every 25 minutes to flip the disk, my 20 year old receiver developed a ground loop hum in the left channel. No one would fix it because the new ones are so cheap.

New receivers under $500 rarely have phono inputs. Magnetic cartridges have extremely low output so a preamplifier is needed. The preamp must follow RIAA equalization to make the music sound the way it was recorded.

After a couple of months of research, I discovered the TEC-754 preamp and RIAA eq on Amazon. The reviews looked good and the price was $78. There were cheaper ones for $30 and $45 that seemed OK but I bought the one that had the lowest noise.

Amazingly, Amazon wouldn’t ship that item to Canada so I bought it from the same vendor on eBay.ca for $78.

It came in a week and installed in 30 minutes. I moved the turntable to the TV room where there is a 5.1 surround system (see below). The old Pioneer receiver is going in the trash on Tuesday after 20 years of great service.

Was it worth $150 ?

You bet. The music opens up on vinyl. You can hear the instruments more distinctly and bass is much more powerful and distinct. I also get to hear the hundreds of LPs that have been collected over the decades without buying the CDs.

Would it be worth the thousand of dollars some people spend on hi-end vinyl stereo systems? Probably not in my estimation.

Some of the improved sound may be from the sound treatment that is underway in Katzass Studios. We got a modest number of bass traps and mid to high frequency panels from Real Traps for the studio that are partially installed.

When the double doors to the studio are open, they make a big difference in bass definition. Instead of thump thump, you can hear the kick drum and the notes played by the bassist in detail.

This week has had lots of great moments listening to vinyl. Right now I have Bob Dylan’s latest album on the turntable with “Beyond Here Lies Nothing.” Sounds good.

This weekend I’ll write up a review of The Bootleg Series Volume 5 – Rolling Thunder Review which I found in one of my LP boxes. It demonstrates the strengths and limitations of vinyl.

Check out the long article in Wikipedia if you want to know more about vinyl.

Surround system

To hear better music you need a better system. Mine is not new but it works great.

Receiver – Pioneer VSX 1015TX
Front speakers – Mirage 750s 3-way
Sub woofer – Velodyne ULD-15 – real old